Freelance Commercial Producer, London

If you are looking for a commercial producer in London — for a director’s job awarded to your production company, an agency project that needs producing directly, or UK production service for an overseas shoot — this page sets out how I work. The work, reel and full credits are elsewhere on the site.

What I produce

TV commercials, online and social films, idents and branded content. The work I am best known for is comedy and performance-led: dialogue, casting, timing and a crew that lets the director concentrate on the performance. That has included celebrity-fronted campaigns (Mads Mikkelsen for Carlsberg, Rebecca Ferguson for Copper, Claudia Winkleman for Cannaray, Laura Kenny and the GB Olympic team for Purplebricks), Christmas advertising (John Lewis, JD Sports), and a run of recent comedy spots for Hargreaves Lansdown, Specsavers, Audible, Coors, Barclaycard, Channel 4 and MoneySuperMarket.

Who I work with

Production companies. Freelance line and lead producing for MindsEye, Untold Studios, Merman, Friend, Stink, Arts & Sciences and Bullion, with directors including Diarmid Harrison-Murray, Benjamin Green, Peter Lydon, Thomas Ormonde, Craig Ainsley, Matthew Walker, Georgi Banks-Davies, Kiku Ohe and Paul McGuigan.

Agencies and brands. Direct production through In Color, a producer-led production company: one point of contact from budget to delivery, with directors brought in to suit the script.

Overseas production companies and agencies. UK production service: crew, locations, kit, casting, permits and post, run by a producer who has sat on the other side of that relationship.

How a job runs

1. Treatment and budget. I cost the director’s treatment honestly, flag where the money is tight and where it is not, and build a schedule that protects the shooting days.
2. Pre-production. Crew, casting, locations, art department, wardrobe, PPM. The agency and client know what they are getting before anyone turns up on set.
3. Shoot. I run the floor with the 1st AD so the director is free to direct, and I am the person the agency talks to when something changes.
4. Post and delivery. Offline, grade, sound, versioning and Clearcast clearance through to broadcast and social delivery.

Recognition

The work has won Cannes Lions, APA Awards, D&AD Yellow Pencils and British Arrows. Before commercials I produced music videos for Blur, John Newman, Bat For Lashes and SBTRKT, and collected a BRIT Award. Member of the APA. Represented by RED.

Questions people ask

What does a commercial producer do?

A commercial producer runs the production of a TV or online advert from the moment a director is awarded the job to final delivery: budgeting the treatment, booking crew and locations, scheduling the shoot, managing the agency and client on set, and steering the edit, grade, sound and delivery through to Clearcast. The producer is the person accountable for the film arriving on time, on budget and as the creative intended.

Do you work freelance or through a production company?

Both. I produce freelance for production companies including MindsEye, Untold Studios, Merman, Friend, Stink, Arts & Sciences and Bullion, and I produce directly for agencies and brands through In Color Productions Limited, my own producer-led company. UK production service for overseas agencies and production companies also runs through In Color.

What kind of work are you known for?

Comedy and performance-led commercials, celebrity-fronted campaigns and Christmas advertising. Recent work includes Hargreaves Lansdown, Specsavers, Audible, Coors, Channel 4, Barclaycard and MoneySuperMarket; earlier credits include John Lewis Christmas, Carlsberg with Mads Mikkelsen, Tesco, British Airways, Burberry, Samsung and NatWest.

Where are you based and where do you shoot?

I am based in London and Dorset and shoot across the UK and internationally, including service productions where a local partner handles crew, kit and permits and I keep the agency relationship and the creative intact.

How do I check your availability?

My diary is handled by RED: hello@redmanagement.tv or 020 8960 7005. For direct production or UK service enquiries, email jonny.kight@incolor.film.

Availability and contact